06 September 2012

Access to the Museum - Lotto boost for disadvantaged schools

by: Zongezile Matshoba

Albany Museum may have lost out on its application to the national lottery distribution agency for infrastructural development, but its Mobile Museum Services is smiling all the way. Lottosupported the application for a 13-seater mini bus, aimed to take especiallydisadvantaged learners to gain more access to the Museum.

For years, the Museum has been reaching out to farm, rural and township schools, using its panel van, kindly donated by the Grahamstown Rotary Club. Nozipho Madinda, the Mobile Museum Officer, has always wanted to ensure that the disadvantaged learners also get the opportunity to experience the actualMuseum over and above the lessons that they were getting from the Mobile Service.

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MUSEUM ACCESS: Learners from Andrew Moyakhe Primary enjoying

the break and the lunch packs after being given a rare access to the Museum

PictureBy: Zongezile Matshoba

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The wonderful opportunity, made possible by the gracious lotto contribution means that disadvantaged schools will no longer be limited to artefacts taken to their schools. Over 20 000 learners have an opportunity to be fetched from their schools, and gain a practical experience of the Museum. The funding has also ensured that these learners get lunch packs after their lessons. Museum is also busy developing learning material with information and activities that willenhance their learning.

Albany Museum has natural science, social history and a Victorian Lifestyle with a Camera Obscura buildings, and three heritage sites buildings. The three museum buildings have galleries that cover a variety of curriculum-based topics such as planets, plants, biodiversity,history, art and culture.

September, known as the heritage month, tourism month, arbor month, and reading month, is without doubt an ideal period to kicks-tart the Access-to-the-Museum Project.

Interested schools are invited to make their booking early, by contacting Nozipho Madinda at 046 622 2312, or via her email, N.Madinda@ru.ac.za